WAG - Tired of Tortuous Talk
A question I’m sick of listening to experts debate: Did American and British soldiers torture the inmates at Abu Ghraib prison?
The answer I keep screaming at the talking heads on the TV screen: No!
A deeper Question that is not actively being asked: What is it then?
Let me try to answer…
I have been silent on this subject on this site, and largely in conversations as well. I’ve read much about this, and I want to place things in context; especially with some of the “research” I’ve done today.
This topic has been bounced back by the media since the occurrence became public. It came to light due to a military investigation and was even reported to the press, though with limited details. The incident only became “a story” when photos surfaced.
Images included inmates being threatened with a barking dog, a woman leading a nude prisoner around on a leash, another woman making a tacky “check it out” gesture at a line of naked men, and the most famous, the buck-naked pyramid.
These are tasteless, degrading acts. They do not reflect kindly on the soldiers or the countries they represent. That acknowledged, THIS IS NOT TORTURE!
Both as an avid newsreader and as an American I am more upset with the critics and so-called pundits that try to equate what happened with gross abuse, or even worse, equal to what Saddam Hussein, his twisted sons, and followers committed.
The prisoners in Abu Ghraib were not innocent Iraqis randomly persecuted by soldiers. Thousands of prisoners, even some minor level insurgents had been released even before President George Bush said, “Mission accomplished.” Skipping any issues people may have with that phrase, countless people were told to go home and begin new lives. Those that remained, or were imprisoned as the time went on, were the roughest, skuzziest of the lot. The hardcore fanatics, murders, and rapists were the ones locked up. These are not people to be treated kindly, for they would not return any respectful treatment.
What do you do with the unrepentant criminals? How do you punish a suicidal follower? How do you strike fear into the heart of those unafraid to die? The answer is simple: force them to live with themselves.
Part of it is a culture thing, but of the imprisoned Iraqis would rather die than live a shamed life. That is why, when the pictures began to spread exponentially, reporters were able to find people who found the American’s actions, which left the prisoners alive, more barbaric than Saddam who killed many of his victims when he was done with them. This is not a majority view, but it was sometimes touted as one by some media outlets.
This has been blown out of proportion. It is not an event to be ignored, for it has lost us some standing in the eyes of many, but it is not something that is representative of the cause we are continuing to fight for nor is it a burden we are attempting to shirk.
“War is hell,” Civil War General William Sherman observed. Atrocities happen, and many come to the surface, but this is a case where justice will occur. Already, court martial have occurred. More trials are to come. This is not something we are attempting to shy away from or cover up, but is something we are taking responsibility for.
I think a reason why the story has gone so far are the sensational pictures. They are electrifying, stirring shots. Put them in the center of the page and the story writes itself. But if these images are able to be so easily presented to the public, are they really that bad?
Embarrassing they may be, for everyone involved (either at the time or in hindsight), but not true depictions of torture. Shocking these images may be, but they pale in comparison with the true acts of torture they are likened to. Ignoring the sheer disparity of numbers of alleged victims of American torture and the mass graves that have been unearthed, we shall focus on the acts themselves.
Most of us have heard the accounts of Saddam poisoning Kurds with sarin gas and the rape houses and other systematical torture. The accounts are also potent, but for most people lack the full impact of a visual. Today, I rectified that personal deficiency.
I’ve read more accounts than most people I know about this subject. I know of penalties Uday Hussein forced upon members of the Iraqi Olympic team (and these people were given "preferential" treatment). I know the descriptions of people loving clutching bags of bones of formerly missing family members that could now be laid to rest. I also knew of a recent screening where members of the press were given the opportunity to view films taken under Saddam’s regime. Despite the interest in the American “torture,” few turned out to see the evidence of the original torturers.
Transcripts of the discussion, which included a panel of five victims of Iraqi torture, and the short video was deemed to extreme for many people to cover. Much of the presentation’s material was put online and I finally decided to watch it.
With a heavy heart, even as the file downloaded, I prepared myself for what I was about to see. I went through four separate warnings that the material would be graphic (from the news site that linked to the AEI site to a 30 second warning on the clip itself). For those who do not wish to view the video itself, I watched – often through my fingers – scenes of a hand being surgically removed, an arm slowly chopped up, an man being brutally beaten, and for me most eerily, throngs of Iraqi soldiers cheering the order, in the name of “Allah the merciful,” to break a man’s arm.
This is true torture.
Recent beheadings by Islamic extremists further illustrate the difference between sophomoric and barbaric. Hazing is horrible and should not be tolerated, but it is not equal to murder.
When pictures were shown, usually it was images of the hostage was still living, manacled and positioned between his captors. Though the “Before” was well documented, I never saw any of the “After” pictures on any of the mainstream news outlets. I had to go to alternative sites to see such images.
The public would not stand for those sights to be plastered across the page or screen. It would be too ghastly, too extreme, too much.
That is the reaction that true torture elicits. Most people can’t bear to look at humanity at its ugliest. I do not blame people who don’t hold up to the emotional onslaught such viewing causes, but I do take issue with those who refuse to truthfully say where the line is.
Were American actions in Abu Ghraib outrageous, condemnable, and outright wrong?
Yes.
Was it torture?
No.
'Though_the_discussion_will_go_on'
